1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle electrical system and, more particularly, to vehicle air bag electrical system having a filter circuit.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,762 discloses an electrostatic discharge immune electric initiator. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,953 discloses an orientationless squib connector assembly for automotive air bag assemblies. For a filtered connector intended to be used in a small space, such as an automobile air bag connector, increasing the size of the connector is not desired. U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,775, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a filtered electrical connector with multiple ferrite members.
Air bag electrical connectors which use ferrite hoods are good for filtering electromagnetic interference around 500 MHz. However, automobiles are now being provided with electronics, such as mobile telephones and Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, which can generate electromagnetic interference in the area of about 2–4 GHz. This electromagnetic interference can induce current in conductors leading to an air bag gas generator and cause an accidental discharge of the gas generator. There is a need to provide an air bag connector which can filter electromagnetic interference above 2 GHz and thereby prevent accidental discharge of an air bag gas generator from such interference.